Each year, OPL staff asks our library guests what the
library means to them. Our mission guides what we
strive to be for the communities we serve, but only
by checking in with our patrons can we get a sense of
how we have contributed to the betterment of our city
and county. Time and again, we hear overwhelmingly
positive feedback from the families and individuals
who use OPL’s 12 branch locations. While no two
people have the same library needs or experiences,
OPL listens to what is happening in our neighborhoods,
state and nation, and works to meet the needs of OPL
cardholders through quality materials, services and
programs.
Whether your library is a home away from home, or
simply an online destination for eBooks and digital
resources, there’s something for everyone at OPL.
Families with young children are frequent visitors at
OPL storytimes, where pre-K children receive some
of their first exposure to early literacy and social
skills. Teens turn to OPL for homework help, coding
and technology opportunities, as well as a network
of like-minded peers with an interest in community
involvement. For many adults, the library helps to
foster a love for reading in an economical way, aids
family and local history research, and creates social
experiences through book clubs, craft programs, art
openings and more.
All of this is made possible through the support of City
of Omaha and Douglas County taxpayers together
with funds provided to OPL through the Friends of
Omaha Public Library and the Omaha Public Library
Foundation. Working with library volunteers, partners
and advocates, OPL is able to extend its reach to more
of the community for a greater impact, and provide
opportunities to patrons that it could not achieve alone.
Thank you for being a part of our story. We invite you
to continue sharing your vision for the future of your
libraries. We’re here because of you, and your voice
matters.

Omaha Public Library Board of Trustees
Omaha Public Library Foundation Board of Directors
Friends of OPL Board of Directors

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OPL Staff, Cassandra Clare Tour Bus | Westside Middle School

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AUTHOR VISITS
OPL provided many opportunities for book lovers
of all ages to meet some of their favorite authors at
locations throughout the community.
In March, New York Times bestselling author
Cassandra Clare introduced her new book in the
Shadowhunters series, Lady Midnight, to a group of
more than 500 (mostly teenage girls). Clare’s fans
erupted into wild applause as the author, along with
author friends Sarah Rees Brennan and Holly Black,
entered the auditorium. The authors delighted the
audience with a Q&A session devoted to revealing
some of the decisions made surrounding their beloved
book characters.
In November, Chewish cookbook author Sandra
Goldberg Wendel, and Sarah Baker Hansen, food
reporter and columnist for the Omaha World-Herald
and author of the Insiders’ Guide to Omaha & Lincoln,
headlined the 2016 Culinary Conference. Wendel
shared the difference between cheesecake and cheese
pie, and how a mélange of religions and cultures
steeped with a healthy portion of Jewish food from her
paternal grandmother, Nama, shaped how she looks
at food. Hansen revealed some of her favorite local
comfort foods, and talked about her “food prowls”
around Omaha.

The building was designed by Bahr, Hanna,
Vermeer & Haecker Architects as a split-level
facility, featuring a recreation center on the first floor, and
a library on the second. The building was named for former
Mayor A.V. Sorensen in recognition of his generous personal
donation of land, as well as his contributions to Omaha
as a civic leader, philanthropist and humanitarian. Today,
Sorensen Branch continues to serve as a neighborhood
hub with educational and entertainment opportunities for
residents in and outside of the Dundee area.

years

50

W. CLARKE SWANSON BRANCH
FEBRUARY 1966

As the sixth OPL location, Swanson Branch
was considered a solution to the increased
migration of families to west Omaha. It serves
not only the neighborhoods surrounding its location, but
also many Omaha commuters who find its location at 90th
& Dodge convenient.

years

The man for whom the library is named was a prominent
civic and business leader who did much to advance the
progress of the city. Omaha-based architecture firm Leo
A. Daly designed Swanson Branch to serve a growing
suburban area, and upon its completion, it immediately
became the busiest branch in the system, breaking a single
day lending record in its first week of business.
Today, Swanson Branch continues to thrive and is treasured
for its rare childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection and book sales by the
Friends of OPL.

6

MILESTONE BRANCH
ANNIVERSARIES

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WILLA CATHER BRANCH
DECEMBER 1956

The fourth branch in the OPL system was
built to meet the growing population
in southwest Omaha, and the site was selected for its
proximity to the new Center Shopping Mall and Norris
Middle School.

years

At the time, Willa Cather Branch was considered an
architectural experiment with a contemporary design.
Wall-sized windows were installed facing Center Street
not only to provide sufficient interior lighting, but also so
passers-by could clearly see the book collection displayed
inside, just as one might in a retail store. The facility also
featured garage space to house the libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bookmobile.
Named for one of Nebraskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated authors,
Willa Cather Branch serves a diverse community and offers
a variety of programs including storytimes and book clubs.
Several community groups also make use of the space for
knitting club, Girl Scouts, language-speaking workshops
and more.
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“STORYBOOK LAND
BRINGS CHARACTERS TO
LIFE AND ENHANCES THE
READING EXPERIENCE FOR
PARTICIPATING CHILDREN.”

-OPL Youth Services Manager Julie Humphrey

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STORYBOOK LAND

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OPL successfully kicked off National Library Week
by hosting its third annual Storybook Land event at
Saddlebrook Branch. A record crowd of 750 people
gathered on April 10 to meet eight of their favorite
life-sized costume characters including Pete the Cat,
Lyle Lyle Crocodile, Skippyjon Jones, the Snow Queen,
Lilly the Mouse, Martha the Dog, Paddington Bear and
Batman. OPL’s beloved mascot Scamper the Prairie
Dog was also on site to help greet visitors as they
arrived. Children of all ages gave high-fives and hugs
to their storybook friends and left with a free book
and many great memories.
“Storybook characters visit storytimes at OPL
throughout the year and families really enjoy the time
to meet the characters and take photos,” said OPL
Youth Services Manager Julie Humphrey.

9

“TOYS ARE A TERRIFIC WAY
TO TEACH CHILDREN AND
DEVELOP LITERACY SKILLS.”
-OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane

10

LEARNING
MADE FUN

Developing literacy and
learning skills for OPL’s youngest
patrons is a priority, and part of that
learning experience for children includes toys. Yet,
some families in our community may not have access
to a variety of toys due to economic or special needs.
On June 1, OPL introduced over 100 types of toys
to OPL’s collection. Patrons peruse the toys in OPL’s
online catalog or browse through a printed list
available at each of OPL’s neighborhood branches.
Toys in the collection are geared toward children
ages 0-8 years. Available toys include dolls, musical
instruments, building blocks, games and more!
“Toys are a terrific way to teach children and develop
literacy skills,” OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane
said. “OPL’s staff worked to create a collection of toys
that will inspire imagination, learning and fun.”

This collection is a valuable extension of educational
packages curated by librarians such as Sensational
Science Kits, Storybook Buddies Bags, and themed
story boxes. These learning tools are among the many
ways that OPL strives to provide materials and services
that promote literacy and contribute to the wellbeing
of our community’s youth.
In the seven months that OPL’s Toy Library was active
in 2016, toys were checked out 2,137 times.
Funding for the Toy Library was made available
through donations to the Omaha Public Library
Foundation from The Sherwood Foundation and the
Adah and Leon Millard Foundation.

11

KINGMAN MURAL

The Eugene Kingman mural | Main Library

In 1946, Arthur Hayes Sulzberger, publisher of The
New York Times, commissioned Eugene Kingman to
paint an inspirational mural for the lobby of the Times
headquarters in New York City. Kingman, a nationallyknown artist and muralist, was about to move to Omaha
as the second director for Joslyn Art Museum.
The mural was painted at Joslyn Art Museum and
installed in the lobby of The New York Times in 1948. It
remained there until the late 1980s when it was taken
down during remodeling. In 2013, a group of Omaha art
lovers led by Maureen McCann Waldron began working
with the Kingman family and The New York Times to
return the mural to Omaha. In 2014, the Times donated
the mural to The Joslyn Castle Trust.
The mural features a view of the world as it might
have been seen from space, and also features a line of
poetry by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, “Every day is a fresh
beginning ~ Every morn is the world made new.”
The Kingman Mural was installed at W. Dale Clark Main
Library in June. “OPL is thrilled to have the Kingman
mural,” said OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane. “The
location is ideal for making the mural accessible to our
community and Omaha visitors alike. It is also truly
representative of what the library is about—opening
your world to new opportunities and experiences.”
Kingman mural installation | June 13, 2016

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GIRLS WHO
CODE CLUB
In February 2016, OPL announced the launch of a new
Girls Who Code club, a community-based affiliate of
the national non-profit organization Girls Who Code,
which seeks to inspire, educate, and equip girls with the
computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.
The first club session took place on March 5, at Milton R.
Abrahams Branch. Each Saturday for 20 weeks, 24 girls
met for four hours to connect, strategize, and virtually
build solutions to problems they encounter in everyday
life. The class concluded on July 30 with a reception and
presentation of their project at the AIM Institute. The
first class was such a success that a second class of girls
started in the fall.

“IT WAS REALLY EXCITING
TO BE A PART OF THIS
IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY
FOR YOUNG GIRLS”
-Branch Manager Marvel Maring

“Sometimes, there are social pressures and girls can feel
that maybe this is a male-dominated area and that they
don’t have a voice. By having girls’ clubs, it’s a much
more comfortable environment for them.”
Club partners included Interface Web School, Omaha
Coding Women, and Omaha Public Schools (OPS). Club
mentors included Sandi Barr, software engineer and founder
of Omaha Coding Women; Shonna Dorsey, co-founder
and managing director of Interface Web School; Eris
Koleszar, senior developer at SkyVu Entertainment; Naomi
See, programmer analyst at West Interactive & Java CEM
at Interface Web School; and Lana Yager, OPS computer
science instructor.

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OVERALL, 28,412
PARTICIPANTS LOGGED
AN OUTSTANDING 251,320
HOURS OF READING TIME
DURING THE SUMMER
MONTHS.
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SUMMER READING
PROGRAM

Readers of all ages
raced to the finish line of
the 2016 Summer Reading
Program (SRP): On Your Mark,
Get Set, READ! Kids, teens,
and adults had the chance
to exercise their minds
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strengths. Participants flexed
their mental (and sometimes physical)
muscles while experiencing a variety of programs like
self-defense, ballet storytime, animal encounters, life-sized
games, robotics, and much more at over 1,000 programs
throughout the city.
Reading is always the main focus of the Summer
Reading Program. Overall, 28,412 participants logged an
outstanding 251,320 hours of reading time during the
summer months. Participants also had the opportunity
to collect virtual badges, which encouraged additional
learning and discovery through program attendance and
by sharing experiences such as opinions about books,
book recommendations, exploring book genres, and
more. For each activity completed or event attended,
participants redeemed a code online to receive a virtual
badge to add to their collection. More than 60 badges were
available to each age group to collect. Over 58,954 virtual
badges were collected by library users over the summer.
Summer Reading Program proved to be fun, physical and
educational for all involved.

OPL celebrated its 12th annual Omaha Reads
campaign in September with Anthony Doerrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All The
Light We Cannot See. Each fall, OPL encourages the
community to join together in reading one book as
part of the Omaha Reads campaign. Omaha Reads
provides the city with a common theme to discuss
and promotes literacy through book talks, author
visits, and programming related to the chosen book.
Preliminary titles are nominated and then voted
upon by Omaha and Douglas County residents.
Previous Omaha Reads selections include Eleanor &
Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Meaning of Names by
Karen Gettert Shoemaker, In Cold Blood by Truman
Capote, and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

16

16

OMAHA READS

Set during World War II, the 2016
Omaha Reads selection, All
The Light We Cannot See,
followed the lives of various
characters through Germany
and France, revealing that
there was nowhere to hide and
there were no winners during this
devastating period of history.
“All the Light We Cannot See is an
excellent choice of a book to spark conversation,”
said OPL Executive Director
Laura Marlane. “Not only
does it humanize the
war by introducing the
reader to new perspectives
through its characters, but it
also recognizes how warfare
evolves with changing
technologies. The options for
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discussion
are endless.”
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Programs were offered to explore some themes
addressed in the book. Brian York, Curator of Exhibits
and Collections for Strategic Air Command &
Aerospace Museum, presented “The Importance of
Radio in Nazi Germany and Occupied
France.” Karen Bachmann, jewelry
designer and instructor at Pratt
Institute and the Fashion Institute
of Technology, presented “Cursed
Gemstones in History;” and author
Joyce H. Winfield shared from
her book, Forever Heroes: A
Collection of World War II Stories
from Nebraska Veterans.
Joyce H. Winfield

Omaha Reads is supported through funding
provided by the Omaha Public Library Foundation
and Friends of Omaha Public Library.

17

REVENUE
City of Omaha (General Fund & Keno) $11,942,664
Douglas County
$2,100,000
Omaha Public Library Foundation
$288,865
Fines and fees collected
$250,000
Friends of Omaha Public Library
$165,937
State of Nebraska
$164,177
Grants and other income
$2,455
Total Revenue

It means having an abundance of resources to help us
home school! We appreciate being able to check out
all of these great books!

• A place to be social, to learn—a place of community.
•

It offers a wonderful array of great services for all ages.

•

Everything! I am an online student and do not have
internet access at home. I have managed to maintain a
GPA of 4.0 and will graduate in August. Couldn’t have
done it without you!

•

I like the library very much because lots of books, and
I’m coming to attend English program. It’s really very
helpful for me.

•

It’s a place of learning and entertainment and
good company. I think the library is one of the
most important institutions ever allowing access of
knowledge to all.

•

I couldn’t live without the library. It has allowed me to
do my taxes, my homework, find a job, and even feed
me with the seed program.

• A place where my kids can have a resource for
expanding their minds through books.
• A library to me means history. The smell of the books,
the niceties of my neighborhood, and the sound of
minds at work! The energy is beautiful here!
•

I drive 3,000 miles a month, so I listen to a lot of audio
books. Thanks to the library, I am able to do that.

• The library is central to my life - I have found
wonderful art, literature, and people here!

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Friends of Omaha Public Library
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, grassroots
organization dedicated to raising money for
the library, providing volunteers, and promoting the
library to the greater community.
Volunteer members raise funds with book sales at
W. Clarke Swanson Branch on the first Saturday of each
month and every Thursday. They also raise funds through
internet book sales, memberships, and donations
to benefit OPL, its patrons, and the greater Omaha
community. In 2016, the Friends provided OPL with 9,203
hours of volunteer service and more than $165,900. These
funds helped support important programming such
as author events, the Virginia Frank Memorial Writing
Contest, and Omaha Reads.
Learn more about becoming a Friend at
friendsomahalibrary.org.

THE MISSION OF THE OMAHA
PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
(OPLF) IS TO RAISE FUNDS AND
ADVOCATE FOR OPL.

Wendy Townley, Matt Couch, Marty Davis & Laura Marlane

Citing a passion for education and literacy, the late Virginia
C. Schmid of Omaha awarded a $1 million bequest to the
Omaha Public Library Foundation. The check was presented
by Schmid’s niece, Marty Davis of Bellevue, on January 6,
2016. An additional $171,519 was gifted from the estate in
October 2016.
Per Schmid’s wishes, the gift is designated exclusively to OPL’s
A.V. Sorensen Branch – located in the heart of the Dundee
neighborhood at 48th and Cass streets – in support of
books, capital expenditures, and other branch improvements.
Additionally, “in no event shall any of this gift be used for the
ordinary operating expenses of Sorensen Branch,” according
to paperwork accompanying the donation.
This $1.17 million gift marks the largest single contribution
the OPLF has received in its 32-year history. “We are truly
humbled and even a bit speechless following the news
of this extremely generous gift from the late Virginia
Schmid,” said OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane. “Before
moving to Omaha, I had heard this was a very philanthropic
community. This is proof positive of such support. We are
overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Until OPL and its Trustees determine how to best use the gift
at Sorensen Branch, the funds will remain in a trust.
Virginia Schmid passed away
in October 2015. She and her
late husband, Marvin, met at
the University of NebraskaLincoln in the late 1930s. They
married in 1941. Throughout
her life, she was a dedicated
volunteer. According to Davis,
Schmid loved travel, fine food,
ballroom dancing, family,
and friends.

Virginia Schmid, 2011

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24

A NOVEL AFFAIRE:
TOBIAS WOLFF
Award-winning author Tobias Wolff headlined A Novel
Affaire, the Omaha Public Library Foundation’s (OPLF)
third annual fundraiser, on April 2.
Speaking to a crowd of approximately 150 OPLF
supporters, Wolff shared stories of his life as a writer,
delighting the crowd with humor one minute, and
thought-provoking advice for writers (and the craft of
writing) the next.
He also answered questions from the audience about
his many works, including two of his most popular,
This Boy’s Life and In Pharaoh’s Army.
Wolff is a lifelong lover and user of public libraries, and
explained how they played a pivotal role in his passion
for the printed word. OPL Executive Director Laura
Marlane introduced Wolff at the fundraiser, adding
how the support of private contributions makes library
programs and services possible.
“Your generosity allows us to expand our reach and
touch more lives. OPL is reaching people through
technology,” Marlane said. Even if you can’t get to a
library, you can apply for a card, download eBooks,
audiobooks, and even have access to resources and
take classes online for free. Our programming reaches
all ages, from the children who attend story times
and coding clubs, to the adults who learn English and
prepare for their GED.”
A Novel Affaire 2016 was made possible by the generosity
of the following event sponsors: Baxter Auto Group, Cline
Williams, Deloitte, Fraser Stryker, Heritage Services, Jim
Kineen, the family of the late Beverly McMillan, Nelnet,
Streck, Tenaska, and Valmont.